Monday, March 9, 2015

BUCKET LIST UPDATE No. 203: Read “Walking the Amazon” by Ed Stafford

As best that I can remember, the first I that ever heard of Ed
Stafford’s “Walking the Amazon” was when the two-part TV documentary about the
epic, record-setting journey was broadcast on the Discovery Channel several
years ago. Later, I learned that Stafford had also written a book about his
journey, and I immediately put it on my bucket list. I started reading it on
March 1 and finished it (and scratched it off my bucket list) on Sunday.

For those of you unfamiliar with “Walking the Amazon,” it’s
about an 860-day expedition in which Stafford became the first documented
person to walk the entire length of the Amazon River. Stafford began the
expedition on April 2, 2008 at the source of the Amazon River in Camana, Peru,
and he finished the trip at the Brazilian mouth of the Amazon River on Aug. 9,
2010. Guinness World Records formally recognized Stafford for his Amazon
journey in 2011 and he was also a finalist for National Geographic’s Adventurer
of the Year in 2010.

Stafford began his journey with a partner named Luke
Collyer, but Collyer eventually left the expedition after a few months. Later,
Stafford met Cho Rivera, who initially agreed to walk with Stafford for less
than a week, but ended up walking with Stafford for over two years. Along the
way, a long list of supporters, journalists, interpreters and guides accompanied Stafford on
different legs of the journey.

You might think that Stafford’s journey would have been easy
for a young, retired British army captain, who had also led various, shorter
expeditions before in the jungle. However, despite his best efforts at planning
and equipping himself, his Amazonian expedition was plagued by all manner of
problems. You name it, it happened, everything from extreme temperatures, bad
weather, dehydration, starvation, infected blisters, crippling fatigue,
dangerous animals, disease-carrying insects, flooded forests, drug runners,
angry natives, language barriers, booby traps, malfunctioning electronics,
dwindling funds, inaccurate maps, homesickness, etc., etc.

In its purest essence, “Walking the Amazon” is about the
power of sheer determination. Despite all that occurred, Stafford stayed
committed to his expedition and single-mindedly willed himself to complete the
trip. Using an inspiring combination of brains, resourcefulness and good luck,
Stafford overcame all obstacles and reaped the rewards in the end.

During the entire journey, Stafford used 10 video cameras to
shoot footage for a movie about his trip, and the two-part documentary about
the journey was broadcast in the United Kingdom in February 2011. The book
version of the tale, “Walking the Amazon: 860 Days: One Step at a Time,” was
also released in 2011. I’ve seen the movie and read the book, and highly
recommend both of them.

In the end, how many of you have read “Walking the Amazon”?
How many of you have seen the TV documentary? What did you think about them? Do
you know of any similar books or documentaries? Let us know in the comments
section below.